Design competitions are always guaranteed to bring forth very cool and usually very clever creations with elaborate or very useful functions. However as 3D printing can definitely be very artistic, it is also very nice to see a competition looking for very beautiful and stylish creations, as is MyMiniFactory’s Vase and Planter Design Competition. Though the competition runs till January 2016, Swedish veteran designer Thomas Palm has already shared his entry with us: the absolutely gorgeous Palmiga Globe Bouquet Vase, that would fantastic in any living room.

Now if the name Thomas Palm sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve seen a couple of interesting 3D printed designs by his hand before. As self-proclaimed innovative tech nerd, Thomas lives in Southern Sweden has a background in product development and spends time with cool things like inventing, 3D printing and riding motorcycles. Indeed, we usually know him for cool and manly designs, such as these 3D printed tire innovations for RC cars.

That makes it all the more interesting to see that he isn’t opposed to designing more classy creations too, and his Globe Bouquet Vase is exactly that. As the Swede explains to 3ders.org, it features a remarkable design as a protest against current trends in 3D printed vase design. ‘I´ve designed a vase as a miniature protest against all the 3D printed vases that focuses on the actual vase itself,’ he says. ‘It´s really fun and nice to see the creativity out there designing the most complex 3D printed vase but isn't the flowers the main attraction and also the most beautiful? No 3D print can come close to that beauty right?’ And we have to completely agree with him on that point.

That unconventional approach means it will be very interesting to see how it does in the competition. To explain, MyMiniFactory’s Vase and Planter Design Competition is an ongoing competition that focuses on vases and planters. ‘This time around, instead of deciding the winner by downloads, we are going to sell the designs through the MyMiniFactory store, the winning design then takes home the proceeds of all the sales. Individual designers will also recieve 15% of each sale they make (the rest goes into the pot),’ they say.

And as MyMiniFactory has already put a nice price of $500 in the pot, the winnings could become quite substantial. That alone should attract some attention in the making community, as will the very open rules for the competition. The only demand is that a design has to resemble a vase or planter, or be able to function as one. Of course, it’s also a good opportunity to show our wives and girlfriends that 3D printing can be stylish too. The competition ends at January 31st 2016.

Thomas seems to be on the right track with his design. Though a lot of 3D printed vases or planters are all about the print itself, this vase blends in with the flowers and enhances the global picture, instead of distracting from it. ‘Don´t get me wrong... I of course still wanted the design to be somewhat appealing on its own and I do think the end result is a good compromise,’ he says. ‘The outer holes together with the holes in the inner geometry creates endless combinations when arranging the flowers.’

What’s more, the base and the pillar are modular, and can be adjusted for multiple functions. ‘If one does not like the flower aspect I guess it would double great at Comic Con as the top of a Wizard Staff or Alien Weaponry perhaps?,’ he jokes. ‘In fact why do we not challenge everyone to make a creative base for this vase so that it can morph into something completely new ;) No rules... and the price is fame, glory and hopefully pride.’

The vase itself was 3D printed without support structures and, depending on your 3D printer, can be scaled down to fit on most machines. ‘In my pictures and movies it´s printed at 80% with 0.2mm layers and a 0.7mm nozzle,’ he adds. The vase itself can be downloaded for free at MyMiniFactory here, or can be purchased as a 3D printed file (for only $10 throughout the competition).

If money is no option... why not go ahead and order a Stainless steel 3D printed Palmiga Globe Bouquet Vase over in my @Shapeways shop? http://shpws.me/Krul
Does the $1,789 USD make you hesitate a bit? then perhaps the 9,99 USD plastic print from @myminifactory does not... goo.gl/1EScuJ

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